Williams Supercombo vs. Wright Grip 2.0 Combination Wrench Set

[_Riddle]

Looking at the Supercombos and Wright Grip 2.0 sets and I just can't pick one. Some people say the Supercombos spread a bit and that the chrome isn't great, others claim the bends on the box end are inconsistent for the Wright and they are slightly shorter than the Williams.

I don't use the open ends of my combo wrenches often, and I really like the box end of the Williams has their off-corner loading "Supertorque" design. Does anyone know if the Wright Grip wrenches also have the off-corner loading in the box end? Their website is under construction and I can't get a solid answer on this.

 

[scubadoober]

Would you consider the double box end wrenches from either since you don't use the open ends often? That would rule out your grievances, and solely choose based on price and features.

 

[_Riddle]

Would you consider the double box end wrenches from either since you don't use the open ends often? That would rule out your grievances, and solely choose based on price and features.

I don't use the open ends often but there are times when I need to which is why I'm going with the combination set.

 

[jimmyin3D]

Go with the Supercombos. Nice and sleek. Length of wrenches is great too. Plus those times you need to use an open end it has teeth to bite into stubborn bolts. They also look and feel really good in the hand.

On the other hand I was super disappointed with the WrightGrips. I knew they were on the shorter side but also the few I tried out had manufacturing issues with their box end, not bent to the correct offset(2 wrenches out of a 15pc set) and these were the new 2.0 wrightgrip. The beams were much thicker then they appeared in pictures as well. Did not like them at all, even discounting the manufacturers issues.

 

[BarryWells]

Go with the Supercombos. Nice and sleek. Length of wrenches is great too. Plus those times you need to use an open end it has teeth to bite into stubborn bolts. They also look and feel really good in the hand.

On the other hand I was super disappointed with the WrightGrips. I knew they were on the shorter side but also the few I tried out had manufacturing issues with their box end, not bent to the correct offset(2 wrenches out of a 15pc set) and these were the new 2.0 wrightgrip. The beams were much thicker then they appeared in pictures as well. Did not like them at all, even discounting the manufacturers issues.

WOW..... But not surprised. Buy some ASD Proto

 

[bob15]

Buy the Wright and skip the Williams.

The Wright's have comfortable beams and the open ends don't spread in sizes below 9/16" like the Williams have done to me.

 

[Yarpo]

I thought you already had supercombos and had wrights on the way to compare?

With that, I'm going to recommend the Wrights. I added a bunch of pictures to the last thread but here they are again. My Supercombos have small defects (So do the Wrights) but the Supercombo stamping variation is annoying. Not sure how they managed to do it so inconsistently. I got one supercombo that the open end is mostly matte as if I skipped chroming and I got two wrights that have some odd defect on the open end too, tho it doesn't affect use. The Wright beams are wider left to right, but the Williams beams are thicker vertically(up/down)

I don't use my wrenches often and find the shorter lenght has its pros and cons. As far as the box end is concerned, "Supertorque" and off corner loading are present in most every socket and wrench at this point, no? A box end is a box end, mine look no different on any of the 5 sets of wrenches I have, williams included.

Pics for comparison.

 

[1950mercury]

Buy the Wright and skip the Williams.

The Wright's have comfortable beams and the open ends don't spread in sizes below 9/16" like the Williams have done to me.

I agree

 

[Shane6377]

I put together a set of mixed brands that includes both Williams Supercombos and Wright Grips. There are pros and cons to each but both are great wrenches.

Personally I prefer the Wright Grip. The shorter length has rarely been a problem... in fact it's been a benefit more often when getting into tight places.


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[Wamsutta]

I don't understand the appeal of open end wrenches designed for rounded off corners UNLESS you actually have some fasteners with rounded off corners. They will get caught on the corners of healthy nuts and bolts.

Maybe you guys don't use the open end of a combination wrench like I do. I engage the open end, turn fastener, disengage open end, flip wrench over, and then re-engage open end for the next turn -- and I like to do that as fast as possible. Not going to happen with one of those tricked out open ends engineered for rounded off nuts.

 

[Shane6377]

I don't understand the appeal of open end wrenches designed for rounded off corners UNLESS you actually have some fasteners with rounded off corners. They will get caught on the corners of healthy nuts and bolts.

Maybe you guys don't use the open end of a combination wrench like I do. I engage the open end, turn fastener, disengage open end, flip wrench over, and then re-engage open end for the next turn -- and I like to do that as fast as possible. Not going to happen with one of those tricked out open ends engineered for rounded off nuts.

I don't think you understand the design of these wrenches. They just have a couple little teeth that help the wrench from slipping on fasteners... rounded or not.

I use the open end the same as you and have never had a problem getting caught on fasteners. Nothing tricked out about them. Still just a basic wrench.


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[Wamsutta]

I don't think you understand the design of these wrenches. They just have a couple little teeth that help the wrench from slipping on fasteners... rounded or not.

I use the open end the same as you and have never had a problem getting caught on fasteners. Nothing tricked out about them. Still just a basic wrench.

If they're not designed for rounded off corners, then there's no point in having them. A couple of little teeth to prevent the open end from slipping? Why is it slipping in the first place? Tolerances too sloppy?

 

[Shane6377]

If they're not designed for rounded off corners, then there's no point in having them. A couple of little teeth to prevent the open end from slipping? Why is it slipping in the first place? Tolerances too sloppy?

Tolerances are fine. Personally I don't think the teeth do all that much. They are just good wrenches. I would have purchased them with or without the anti-slip open end.

You seem to just be speculating... have you tried either of the wrenches being discussed?


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[Zewnten]

I've only used Snap On's flank drive plus but the "teeth" only engage on rounded or rounding off fasteners otherwise I don't even know they're there.

 

[M6erfan]

I don't understand the appeal of open end wrenches designed for rounded off corners UNLESS you actually have some fasteners with rounded off corners. They will get caught on the corners of healthy nuts and bolts.

Maybe you guys don't use the open end of a combination wrench like I do. I engage the open end, turn fastener, disengage open end, flip wrench over, and then re-engage open end for the next turn -- and I like to do that as fast as possible. Not going to happen with one of those tricked out open ends engineered for rounded off nuts.

Same idea as FlankDrive, no?

 

[Wamsutta]

Same idea as FlankDrive, no?

That's pretty much what I was talking about since I've never tried any of the other offerings. I have two FD+ wrenches (18mm & 11/16) I got off eBay because I was curious about them. They latch onto a nut pretty hard and don't want to let go if the nut has well defined sharp corners on it. They also work very well on rounded nuts by pulling the nut into the jaws of the open end. For regular wrenching, they slow me down by all the hooking and latching going on.

But if you have a rounded off nut, there's nothing better than FD+.

 

[SRSemenza]

That's pretty much what I was talking about since I've never tried any of the other offerings. I have two FD+ wrenches (18mm & 11/16) I got off eBay because I was curious about them. They latch onto a nut pretty hard and don't want to let go if the nut has well defined sharp corners on it. They also work very well on rounded nuts by pulling the nut into the jaws of the open end. For regular wrenching, they slow me down by all the hooking and latching going on.

But if you have a rounded off nut, there's nothing better than FD+.

But not all wrenches that are designed to grip the flats rather than the corners are the same. The SuperCombos do not have teeth. They have a raised, smooth, flat area roughly centered on the open end gripping surface. The overall tolerance is probably slightly looser than one that does not have a "no slip" feature. The combination of the tolerance and raised portion cause a grip on the flat rather than the corners. Preventing rounding off and probably increasing the grip in general. I am not sure that "no slip" is really the best description of how these wrenches work.

There is no "hooking and latching" or tooth catching going on. If anything they are faster to use than a tight tolerance non ASD wrench.

Seth

 

[jimmyin3D]

That's pretty much what I was talking about since I've never tried any of the other offerings. I have two FD+ wrenches (18mm & 11/16) I got off eBay because I was curious about them. They latch onto a nut pretty hard and don't want to let go if the nut has well defined sharp corners on it. They also work very well on rounded nuts by pulling the nut into the jaws of the open end. For regular wrenching, they slow me down by all the hooking and latching going on.

But if you have a rounded off nut, there's nothing better than FD+.

I don’t know my FD+ are my main combination wrenches and have been for awhile. The open ends don’t bother me much but I can see where you would think that. I just see it as insurance or a bonus for the open end not a drawback.

But then again I mostly work on automotives. I use box ends about 90% of the time.

 

[Dieselhammer]

Given my opinion of the Williams is slightly dated because mine are from the 90's, but both are fine tools, i just think the Wright's are finer. The new wright wrenches are seriously some of the nicest wrenches made, they're so thick and solid that they have absolutely zero flex in the jaws and beam. They're also incredibly comfortable to hold even when backholding a stuck bolt that you're impacting. The price for american tools is also very nice, I believe i paid $130ish for a set 3/8"-1" and they came in a nice denim tool roll.

 

[_Riddle]

I thought you already had supercombos and had wrights on the way to compare?

With that, I'm going to recommend the Wrights. I added a bunch of pictures to the last thread but here they are again. My Supercombos have small defects (So do the Wrights) but the Supercombo stamping variation is annoying. Not sure how they managed to do it so inconsistently. I got one supercombo that the open end is mostly matte as if I skipped chroming and I got two wrights that have some odd defect on the open end too, tho it doesn't affect use. The Wright beams are wider left to right, but the Williams beams are thicker vertically(up/down)

I don't use my wrenches often and find the shorter lenght has its pros and cons. As far as the box end is concerned, "Supertorque" and off corner loading are present in most every socket and wrench at this point, no? A box end is a box end, mine look no different on any of the 5 sets of wrenches I have, williams included.

Pics for comparison.

You are correct I did order both, and then went on a work trip before I could tear into both and really start comparing! I think I'm going to keep the Wright's since they have more wrenches in the set for about the same money. The set I bought on amazon was the D980 which comes with that tool board that I'll probably never use - What wrench racks are those on in your pictures and how do you like them?

 

[Tallpilot]

I don't understand the appeal of open end wrenches designed for rounded off corners UNLESS you actually have some fasteners with rounded off corners. They will get caught on the corners of healthy nuts and bolts.

Maybe you guys don't use the open end of a combination wrench like I do. I engage the open end, turn fastener, disengage open end, flip wrench over, and then re-engage open end for the next turn -- and I like to do that as fast as possible. Not going to happen with one of those tricked out open ends engineered for rounded off nuts.

Someday Merk you are going to get a ratcheting wrench. It will blow your mind.

 

[M6erfan]

That's pretty much what I was talking about since I've never tried any of the other offerings. I have two FD+ wrenches (18mm & 11/16) I got off eBay because I was curious about them. They latch onto a nut pretty hard and don't want to let go if the nut has well defined sharp corners on it. They also work very well on rounded nuts by pulling the nut into the jaws of the open end. For regular wrenching, they slow me down by all the hooking and latching going on.

But if you have a rounded off nut, there's nothing better than FD+.

Well I'm with you on that, not a fan of 'teeth' myself. But I don't wrench in the rust belt either...

 

[bigjeff94]

I have both. I have the wrightgrips at home and the supercombos at work. Of the two I prefer the satin wrightgrips. However at home i also have a set of long pattern SK superkrome 6 point wrenches that I tend to reach for if I want a longer wrench. I like all 3 sets but I do really like the SK's. Great choice if you want a smooth open end.

 

[Yarpo]

You are correct I did order both, and then went on a work trip before I could tear into both and really start comparing! I think I'm going to keep the Wright's since they have more wrenches in the set for about the same money. The set I bought on amazon was the D980 which comes with that tool board that I'll probably never use - What wrench racks are those on in your pictures and how do you like them?

I'm really impressed with the Wrights, the Williams are new so I can't say whether they're good or bad, but I think you made the Wright Choice

Those are Ernst Wrench racks, made in the USA, cheap and come in all kinds of colors. I like them, I prefer the open and "loose" style that's holding my Wrights as opposed to the Gripper style holding the supercombos.

PS: If anyone's interested in the Supercombos I'm looking to sell them just so I can get a matching SAE Wright set.

 

[bob15]

A couple of little teeth to prevent the open end from slipping? Why is it slipping in the first place? Tolerances too sloppy?

Tolerances of the fastener is too small or maybe rusted to a smaller size.

 

[_Riddle]

Finally got a chance to really compare both wrenches side by side and I settled on the Wrights. The chrome finish was nicer, and the set I bought had 19 wrenches vs. the Williams set which had 15. The Wright was only about $10 more and included 4 additional wrenches plus the display board. The Supercombos felt more comfortable and I liked the length, but the Wright Grips were also comfortable. I wish Wright would release these in a long pattern, I think they would sell well.

 

[Bauza]

I returned a set of Supercombos because the finish was terrible and looked like it'd get worse quick. Got a set of Proto wrenches instead.

 

[mdnelson86]

I had a set of supercombos. I loved how they fit in my hand, but could not get along with the open ends at all. Anything that was difficult at all and the open end wanted to start slipping. I usually stopped before it rounded off, but I just didn’t like the way it felt.

I replaced them with a set of Wright grips and absolutely love them. I got the satin finish in sad and chrome in metric. I prefer the satin myself. I have plenty of longer wrenches for when I need them. I still have the supercombos around, but don’t use them very often at all

 

[_Riddle]

Just a quick update. I’m extremely happy with the Wright set of wrenches. Giving my bike a total overhaul with new pedals, bearings, chain, etc and the nut securing the right side pedal to the crank arm was rounded over from a Pittsburgh wrench. This bike was my commuter for a while and saw a lot of salt on bike paths and roads so the pedal was really stuck on there. I made short work of removing them with a 15mm Wright and a few taps from my Trusty Cook model 3 hammer. Very pleased with these wrenches so far!